Aus to England, help needed first please

[Jack P]

I am currently a New Zealand citizen and passport holder living in Melbourne Australia and my aim is to get over to England to work for a period of time, and to obtain an English passport would be ideal.

I have a mother born in England with an English passport but i am not sure if that entitles me to an English Passport, as i know of the old rule that existed that it had to be your father.

I'm trying my best to gather as much information as possible before i go and put in an application and any help would be appreciated

[Chess]

An English Passport does not exist, however, British passports do exist...


...try reviewing the requirements of Ancenstry Visas - you may qualify

[Jack P]

An English Passport does not exist, however, British passports do exist...


...try reviewing the requirements of Ancenstry Visas - you may qualify

Sorry about the english passport thing

My Great Grandfather on my fathers side was British (even knighted) but then that side of the family moved to S.A

And my mothers side are all British including her having a citizenship and Passport. Is that enough credentials or is it to weak on my fathers side?

[John]

I don't think that ancestry visas are the way to go here.

You say that your mother was born in Britain and has a British passport. It therefore sounds like she is able to pass British citizenship on to her children, even if those children were born outside the UK.

Do you know, after you were born, in New Zealand(?), did your mother contact the local British Embassy and get a British-style birth certificate for you? If so, that will certainly make it easier to get a British passport now.

In any case, make contact with your nearest British Embassy or Consulate establish exactly what now needs to be done to get you a British passport.

By the way, when were you born?

[Joseph]

Jack you are right. Unless you were born in January 1983 or later you cannot automatically get British Citizenship from your mother. Otherwise you probably would have a passport already.

If you were born before 1983, your best route is the ancestry visa, which you should easily get through your mother's parents. You can freely work under this 4-year visa and at the end apply for ILR. After another year on ILR (5 years total) you can apply for British citizenship and a UK passport. This additional 1-year wait for applying for BC could be reduced to the moment you get ILR if you have already married a British girl.

Just curious, why come here when you can live in NZ? Is it the labour market there?

Joseph

[John]

Sorry Joseph, don't agree .... I think that instead of "Unless you were born in January 1983 or later you cannot automatically get British Citizenship from your mother" it would be more correct to say "Unless you were born on 8 February 1961 or later you cannot automatically get British Citizenship from your mother".

That is, unless the OP is now over 44 years of age, on the facts mentioned by him he qualifies as British.

1961 to 1983? What has changed? Details can be seen by clicking here.

[abercroft]

I am not an expert, but maybe you have the Right of Abode?

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... abode.html

[Joseph]

Good catch John! It's always great to learn a new nuance of the law--thanks for that. If Jack was born after early 1961 (not all of us are!) he does have the right to be registered if he can submit the necessary documents. Note however that the citizenship is not "automatic" for people in that 1961-1983 category; it has to applied for which is slightly more difficult and time consuming than just getting a consular birth certificate from the High Commission--so my wording is (at least) technically correct. Jack, hope you are under 44!

Abercroft, right of abode amounts to the same thing as citizenship in this case. If Jack had right of abode, he would be entitled to citizenship and vice versa.

Joseph